Pitfall
by lifethatyouhate
Summary: Every relationship has a few pitfalls along the way. When Calvin falls into Akari's life- literally- she starts to consider this. CalvinxAkari.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon or any of the characters, sadly.

"Hello Elli, hello Gill," I said brightly as I walked into the Town Hall. I had bought something for most of my friends at the Market last week, and so I had a broach in hand for the timid brunette.

"Akari," Gill said in his grave tone as Elli said cheerfully, "Good morning, Akari. You're up early."

Shrugging, I held out the broach. "I wanted to drop this present I got for you off before I headed down to the mines." I spent most of my day there, actually. I would stop for a short exchange with Luke and Bo, then with Owen and Chloe, and then I would hammer away, picking up any ores or mushrooms I came across. I was saving up to get myself a barn and a few animals, actually, so until I did that I would work like crazy.

"Oh, wow, Akari, it's great! Thanks!" Elli pinned it quickly to her apron as Gill rolled his eyes. "Hey, Akari, did you meet the new resident yet?" she asked, fidgeting with the pin.

"We have a new resident?" I gaped. After Lune, Candace and Shelly had moved here with their Tailor Shop people hadn't stopped talking about it for weeks, and yet nobody had mentioned another new resident to me until now?

Gill scoffed. "Of course. If you ever stopped over here at the Town Hall, you would know."

I just grinned at Gill. He had his moments where he was a good guy, and he had his moments where Elli and my giggling became just too annoying. "Well, I'm here now. Tell me 'bout the resident, Gill!"

He hesitated, and then said, "His name is Calvin, and he's some sort of adventurer whose moved here. He spends most of his time in the mines, actually, so you might just run into him today."

"Huh. I should go meet him. I hope he's doing alright in the mines, it's kind of complicated at first," I rubbed the back of my neck, shrugging. _A new person_? My head rang. I loved meeting new people. When I moved here to Waffle Island, every person was like a little present waiting to be unwrapped. Some of the presents I loved, some of them I liked, and some of them were just okay, and I couldn't wait to find out what category Calvin fell under.

"I'm sure he's fine, Akari, but maybe you should warn him about the pitfalls. I mean, he _is_ an adventurer, but even Owen fell in his first few times," Elli shrugged.

"Good point. Well, I'll go try and find him. I'll see you two tomorrow, probably! I promise, from now on, I'm in here to find out all the news about the new residents." I couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like Gill smiled just a bit, and Elli giggled at it. Making friends in Waffle Island was pretty easy once you thought about how to appeal to each person.

After making the hour long trek over there, I was greeted by Chloe and Owen in the mine. "Hey guys," I greeted them simultaneously to their, "Hey, Akari!"

"Did you guys see the new guy, Calvin, yet? I'm gonna be his very own personal welcome wagon," I joked, grinning.

"Well, I'm sure you, one of the more recent newbies, is the best choice. He went down early this morning, but he hasn't come back up since. I wonder if he actually made it all the way to the lake," Owen's eyes widened as he stared down the dingy staircase.

"Doubt it," I shook my head. "I've been here a couple seasons and I still haven't gotten down to that underground lake. I can't wait until I do, though. I hear the Harvest Goddess stores all the best fish down there," I nodded.

Chloe grinned. "I bet _you_ can't wait to meet the new guy!"

"And who do you think you are, kid?" I joked, tickling her quickly before I waved and headed down the staircase. I wasn't too sure if I could fight off all the accusations of my bubbling excitement to meet Calvin, since I'm not too good at fighting off the truth.

The first five levels down I saw no signs he was even there. All the mushrooms were there, all the ores were there, and there were hardly any footsteps- just the same big holes in the ground I had gotten used to going around. I harvested the mushrooms and all other profits from the mine, stowing them in my rucksack.

On the sixth mine, I fell down a pitfall, but I was prepared for what usually happened when I did. I crouched down and caught myself pretty good on the next floor, extremely thankful I didn't land on _another_ pitfall, which I had done a lot of times before, honestly.

I heard a cry from below, "Anyone there? Anyone?" I couldn't climb down the stairs fast enough.

_Who is down there?_ I demanded of myself. Did Owen and Chloe come down somehow…? No, I would've seen them. What if Luke and Bo came, like they always said they would? No, I didn't think they would.

I was on my eighth flight when I heard the voice again, and I had completely dismissed the idea of anyone from Brownie Ranch going down. "They don't even come over here!" I mumbled to myself as I heard the voice cry, "Anyone?"

It was definitely not a voice I recognized. It looked like I would be more than just a welcome wagon to Calvin- I would have to be some sort of hero too.

"Calvin?" I called when I reached the ninth floor. "Down here!" a meek call was my only response, and I squinted to see through the dark to get down to the tenth floor- which I had never gotten to before.

I hammered away until I found the next staircase, and ran down to find him, even if my strength was depleting a bit from all the effort I was exerting. "Calvin?" I asked, walking out into a giant, empty almost area. Etchings lined the walls and there was a giant map of Waffle Island itself, along with a bit about the Harvest Goddess carved into various blocks.

"Over here!" his voice called, surprisingly clear now.

"Oh, man!" I cried out, crouching down next to the wincing man. He had thick hair and wore a hat and the same kind of clothes I'd expect someone on a safari to wear, but when he looked at me he had a bright, hypnotic smile on his face.

"Let me guess: you're Akari, the farmer everyone was telling me moved here only a while ago. Apparently, I'll get along really great with you- at least according to Hamilton and a couple other people I've met along the way," he gave a loud laugh, holding himself up mostly by his elbows as he held his leg out at an awkward angle.

"Wow, you've got me pegged. Gill told me a bit about you; Calvin, the adventurer that I came to warn about the pitfalls. Looks like I'm a little late," I gestured to his leg.

He grinned at me. "Just a bit, I'd say. I spent a lot of time down here, and then just an hour ago or so I tried to go back up, but when I was on the seventh level I crashed straight back down to here and landed pretty awkwardly."

"The seventh level is tricky. Almost everywhere you step is a pitfall. This is the first day I actually got down from there, to here, without falling, you know? It's amazing down here."

"Yeah," Calvin watched me carefully, a smile playing on his lips. "It's definitely amazing down here."

Trying not to let heat rise up my cheeks, I turned my head so my hair covered them up. "Can you stand?"

I stood up as he stiffly got to his feet. I held out my hand to him, and he had a tight grip as he stood up straight. "Yeah, I think I can stand alright," he let my hand fall back to my side, and I nodded.

"Can you walk?"

"Now, we have a bit of trouble there," he grinned at me, attempting to drag himself in some sort of walk before he collapsed onto one of the- strategically placed?- walls.

"Look, I know we just met Akari the rancher, but I'm in a jam here. Got a shoulder I could cry on?" he grinned at me, and I nodded immediately, setting my arm around his waist as he slung his arm around my shoulder and we ambled awkwardly up the staircases to the first floor.

Owen jumped to us when we got up. "Whoa, Akari. What happened down there?"

"Afraid I'm a bit of an accident waiting to happen. I crashed down a few pitfalls and I was lucky Akari here came to my rescue," he grinned over at me again. "You would think if I was able to go through the jungle to study wild animals I'd be able to handle a mine."

"You'd think!" Chloe chimed in, winking at me in a very obvious manner that made me finally show my blush.

"Well, I'll help you limp the rest of the way- Akari looks beat," Owen said, and I wondered just how tired I looked. He got a hold of Calvin and they took off down the road. "See you later," Owen called over his shoulder, and Calvin turned and grinned the grin he had had on almost the entire time since I had met him. "Thanks!" he shouted to me.

I just smiled and turned to Chloe. "What do ya' think of Calvin?"

"I think you love him," she said in that little voice, and I ruffled out her hair as she complained. "Hey! Just because I said-,"

"I do not love Calvin. I'm just a hero," I grinned at her, glancing ahead as I watched Calvin turn the corner, limping.

"Some hero," Chloe scoffed at her messed up hair as she headed into where her grandfather called her, and I watched a certain adventurer until he was too small to make out any more.

Author's Note: I noticed there were no Calvin fan fictions that I came across, and I met him in the game a few days ago and thought his scene was sort of cute. :) I'm not too sure how many more chapters there will be after this, but I think the adventurer deserves a few, even if you can't marry him in the game if you've got the glitched version. :(


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of it's characters.

"So, did you meet Calvin yet?" Elli asked me the next day when I stopped by the Town Hall to work for a bit.

"I did, I did. I found him crashed down on floor ten of the mine, where this giant carving is of the island. He could hardly even walk, so I had to help him back to the entrance," I told her, nodding as I hopped up onto her desk and then jumped over it. Gill stared at me with this shocked look on his face that said exactly what he was thinking: You shouldn't jump over desks!

"Hey Gill."

"Akari," he nodded, turning away from me. I swear, I must give Gill a minor heart attack every time I'm around him, all the _rule-breaking_. He's given up on trying to catch me in the act of it, I think.

"Well, what's he like?" Elli asked, her eyes wide and curious. I wondered how bored she must get, living with Yolanda. I had heard that she had moved from another town to get a new change of scenery for a bit, and I had a feeling she was starting to miss it.

"Kind. Charming, I suppose you could say," I shrugged innocently, but I knew I had said too much.

Elli smirked at me. "You love the new adventurer," she chimed in a sing-song voice, to which I immediately retorted, "I do not love him. I sort of like him, but, I mean, he's an adventurer! I really don't think he's going to notice a _rancher_."

At that moment, Calvin himself burst through the door. "Well, if isn't my very own hero behind the desk! Shouldn't you be at your farm?" he asked with one raised eyebrow, smirking.

"Looks like he already did," Elli sung in a whisper, and I elbowed her as I went around the desk this time. Gill stared at his papers, probably thinking _Oh, Goddess, _about my little predicament. I wondered how easily things must be for Gill, just sorting paperwork and taking care of town things.

"Well, I finished up early, so I dropped by. I've got everything handled down there, you know- crops watered…that's about all I have to do so far," I laughed at myself.

"No animals? I was sort of looking forward to seeing some normal ones after all the wild ones I've studied," he laughed a bit, and it sounded sort of like…wind. I wasn't sure why.

"I've been spending all my time in the mines saving up for them, and now that I've got enough I still have to have the barn built- but, if you're hanging around for a while, you can see them soon. They're coming," I said proudly, smiling.

Calvin grinned. "Guess I will be seeing them- I had my house built near the lake. I'm here for a while, at the very least. I need a break from it all."

"Oh, tired of all that excitement, right? Those cheetahs are so dull now- and the wild lions! Bor-ing," I chimed, smirking at him as Elli laughed, turning away to hide it.

Calvin smirked at me, resting one elbow on the desk as he set his head in his hand. "Wow, only one night of rescuing and you know me so well. Just make sure you know this- I won't always be the damsel in distress, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's what everyone tells me," I joked. "We'll have to wait and see. Next time you fall down a pitfall I might not just come around. I might stop by the Carpenter's, or just get lost in a conversation with Owen, or anything could happen."

"Hey, one of these days, _you'll_ be the damsel in distress," he told me, to which I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "You will! Everyone is at one point or another. When you are, I'll be there to rescue you," he said proudly, straightening up to push his thumb to his chest.

I made a scoffing sound. "I am no damsel in distress. I don't need rescuing, I think," I smoothed my shirt down proudly,

"Hey, I didn't think I'd ever be a damsel in distress either- but really, it wasn't such a bad thing," he rubbed the back of his neck, smirking. "Now, I know you probably think I'm acting like a bit of a broken record, but I heard you spend all your time in the mines lately, so would you help me get acquainted down there?"

I shot a glance over my shoulder at Elli, who made this face that looked like if her mouth opened even just a crack a high pitched squeal would escape. I looked away quickly, not keen with the idea of that happening. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Well, after you, hero," he said, pushing the door open wide for me.

"You can stop calling me hero, you know. I just helped you walk out. I mean, I guess I _did_ save your life, but Owen and Chloe could've come to your rescue, and you wouldn't follow them around calling them hero."

"You assume that you know me so well," Calvin said, letting the door fall closed when we got out. "Well, hero, you should know I love doing things that make people tick. I've got that personality."

"You just can't get enough anger out of everyone, eh?" I smirked, and he shrugged. "It's troubling doing so!"

When we reached the mines, Owen and Chloe gave us a suspicious look. "Back so soon?" Owen asked. Chloe watched me with a dancing smirk- why does it always seem like children know so much more than you? They pick up on things so quickly.

"I don't intend to try and kill myself this time, honest," Calvin held up both hands as we all laughed together.

"Well, be careful," Owen shrugged, and we headed down the flight of stairs.

"So, how is this mine supposed to be making you rich enough to get some animal soon?" he asked, stepping hard on the ground. I watched nervously, prepared to lunge and catch him if he was about to step in any wrong area. Luckily, his feet seemed to be watching out for him, and he was managing not to step on any.

"The mushrooms are worth a lot, actually. And," I pulled my hammer out and slammed it against the gems he had been watching. I retrieved what I found, setting it in his outstretched hand as he stared at it with awe. "You can get a lot of Wonderfuls here. That is a Blue Wonderful, actually. Mira refines them for you."

"It's beautiful. I never thought you could find something like this in _here_," he said, tossing it from hand to hand.

"Well, keep it. I have the feeling you want to get to the bottom more than you want to pick up some wonderfuls along the way," I shrugged.

Calvin just grinned at me, slipping it into the backpack he had on, tipping his hat. "Well, I'm grateful, Akari." It seemed a bit to me like the Akari was pointedly a difference from being called 'hero,' but I pretended not to notice and just smiled at him and pointed at the rocks.

"These have ores, too. Silver, gold, copper. You have to use the hammer to get to it, and sometimes it's just a bunch of pebbles it breaks into, but a lot of times I get the ores." He listened to me, following me carefully in exactly the spots I stepped to make sure he didn't fall.

"You have to be really careful, though, with the pitfalls. Sometimes, they're not pitfalls. Sometimes it's worse. Occasionally you'll get stuck in a steam geyser instead, and it'll shoot you right up the roof and onto a higher floor," I pointed to a spot where water was bubbling up just slightly.

"And sometimes-," I was about to continue when I tripped over a rock and slid forward.

A tiny shriek was the only thing that escaped me when the floor gave way. I was cursing my idiocy and fearing the pain when I felt hands slide under my arms and heave me up immediately, pulling me onto the very rock I had tripped over.

"You alright?" Calvin crouched in front of me so that we were eye to eye as I stared at my skinned knees. My face must have been the deepest red ever, but thankfully it was too dark in the mines to really tell.

"That didn't count for being a damsel in distress! My life was not in danger," I protested immediately while he just laughed, standing up and holding out a hand to pull me to my feet. I got up without his help, daintily dusting myself off and trying hard to stop my embarrassed blushing.

"Much. Unless you crashed right down to the thirtieth floor, where there's that rumored underground lake. Unless you didn't know how to swim and you just kept splashing around while I ran down the stairs, unless I couldn't run fast enough to get to you, or I couldn't find a ladder or a convenient pitfall. Unless you drowned. In which case, I'd be saving your life," Calvin gave a cocky smirk at his humor as he wiped some dirt off my shoulder with a swat of his hand.

I rolled my eyes. "Just so you know, I _do_ know how to swim."

"Well, nobody knows what's in that underground lake. There could be piranhas that dragged you under."

"I have tools."

"They fell when you were falling," he quipped instantly, and I narrowed my eyes.

"I could fight them off with my own hands."

"You could fight off a few. Hell, _I_ think you could fight off five, even. But what if there's one hundred? A whole army of monsters. You couldn't fight all of them off, you know. In which case, I'd still be huffing and puffing my way down a pitfall while you were dragged into the depths by bloodthirsty fish."

"What a way to go," I sighed, staring off into the distance as if I were deep in thought before I looked at him, grinning.

"Alright, _hero_. You win. I didn't save your life. You're the only hero in this mine. But I did save you from more than skinned knees and from even more humiliation," he smiled, shrugging.

"Well, I think even falling to my 'death' to the underground lake would be cool. I've never even been there," I sighed, feeling slightly pathetic. Weeks spent here, and I still hadn't made it down there.

"Well, we'll have to change that!" Calvin flung his hands into the air. "Meet me here tomorrow, and we'll get you down to the bottom, promise."

I raised one eyebrow. "How? What time?" I asked as he pushed me ahead of him up the many flights of stairs.

"You can decide!" he told me when we got out of the mine, walking off in a different direction as I stared at him, utterly confused.

Author's Note: I had a feeling Calvin would want to discover exactly what was in the bottom of the mine, and I thought taking Akari along would help get the plot moving. :) Sorry if you think he's out of character, but I picture Calvin to be very confident and humorous, since he's out so often, and I would expect him to be pretty friendly, so…here we go. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the characters in it.

I was slightly ashamed of it, but the next day I watered all of my crops in lightning speed. There was one thing I was truly curious to do before I met Calvin down at the mines, and I wanted to meet him as _soon as possible_, for whatever reason.

I hurried to the Town Hall before Gill got there, because I knew Elli always go there an hour earlier and would open up for me when I knocked. I knocked twice hard- a knock that had oddly enough become associated with me- and Elli opened the door, smiling warmly.

"Are you working today? You know, it's a bit early!" she stepped aside and let me in, closing the door behind me. The brooch was still proudly being brandished on her chest, and I felt a bit of happiness. It seemed like the more and more time I spent with Elli the less shy she got. She seemed so confident when I saw her now.

"Actually, I just wanted to check out- now, don't laugh at me!" I waved a finger at her, and she smirked in anticipation, guessing what I was about to say. "Calvin's resident card, and I knew you wouldn't mock me anywhere near as much as Gill- and he wouldn't even have to say anything. Just give me that look."

Elli grinned and pulled his card out from the set when she got behind the desk. "I just wrote it up yesterday. He's quite the character."

_Calvin: An adventurer and acclaimed archaeologist who has come to live in Waffle Island. He likes egg recipes and gemstones, and his birthday is Winter 14. _

"He's an archaeologist!" I shouted, and Elli jumped slightly, looking like she might revert to her shy side immediately, but then laughed. "Well, yeah. He's always in the mines, why did you think he went there?"

If he was an archaeologist, why did he sit there and listen to me explain everything to him? He knew _all of that_! So why not just shut me up and get to his archaeology?!

"Oh, I don't know. I guess…I guess I was just being dumb," I laughed, shaking my head. Elli just smiled at me, not willing to say I was, and not willing to deny it after my not realizing that he was an archaeologist.

"Well, I'm off to meet-," I stopped short as Gill walked in, and Elli snickered. "Calvin in the mines," she whispered when Gill started to lecture me on why I should not be inside when the Town Hall had not even opened, and I gave one nod and grin to her, said hello to Gill right in the middle of his speech, and then sidestepped him and took off toward the mines.

I was sure that as soon as I saw him I would confront him and ask why he listened to me babble if he wasn't even an archaeologist, but when I got there my confidence was fading and I remembered that we hadn't even really agreed on what we were doing or when we were doing it, so I walked into the mines afraid he wouldn't even be there- after all, it was eight in the morning. Right about now I was usually lazily walking to my typical shift at the Town Hall.

But the moment I walked in his voice echoed in the mines with his, "Morning, Akari!" I walked straight to him as he got up from his seat next to the staircase, shaking my hand to greet me.

For some reason, people who shake hands in greetings always shocked me, and so I stared at him dully for a moment before I shook the hand I was holding, and then he dropped my hand back to my side, grinning. "Are you excited? Ready? Prepared?"

"Er. I'm excited," I laughed, shrugging. "I wouldn't really say _prepared_. All I have is my hoe, my hammer and a couple meals."

"Well, you're prepared enough. I would know," he said proudly. _Because you're an archaeologist_, I wanted to say, but I didn't really want to call him out on that. What if he was just trying to be nice? What if he thought I was annoying but didn't want to say that?

"Okay," I muttered.

He froze mid-step and looked back at me. "You seem…quiet. Er. Than usual, and usual is basically the past couple days I've known you. Something wrong?" I glanced up at his eyes, mine wide. How does he of all people notice that so easily?

"No." I said softly, and he hesitated, slinging his arm around my shoulder for just a moment to squeeze me against him before he started heading down. "Remember, you can always tell me," he said easily.

Why did Calvin have to make me want to talk to him so easily? I wasn't sure what it was about him, but I was sure other people were going to notice too. I would have to ask Owen and Chloe what they thought about him- I didn't want to pretend he was like this just for me.

On floor two I almost crashed through a pitfall I had learned how to avoid after just the first time. I had _never_ fallen through it, but I was so close I had to literally grab onto Calvin's retreating figure and pull myself out.

"Careful. Thought you knew the mine so well," he joked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I thought you were some sort of famous archaeologist, how'd you manage to fall, huh?" I was trying to joke, but it came out so condescending he turned around and gave me a funny look.

"Huh, I thought you only knew me as the 'adventurer.' I wouldn't say I'm a famous archaeologist, but I've dabbled."

"Well, I don't have to come with you," I pointed out. "I mean, I'm just slowing you down, aren't I? You should know this place easy already."

Calvin frowned. "No, you don't have to come with me, but I _asked_ you too. You're not slowing me down- you're confusing me a little, though."

"I just feel so stupid! You sat there and listened to me go on and on about how to get ores and wonderfuls and you've probably seem them a million times," I sighed, shaking my head. Why did I have to spill everything to him? And so _meanly_?

He stared at me for a moment, looking like he had no idea what to say, and then a smirk appeared on his face. "You don't have to laugh at me!" I cried out. I could deal if he just blew me off now as overreacting, but I would not let him _laugh_ at me.

"I'm not laughing at you, Akari. I'm laughing at how…clueless you're acting!" he pointed at me, then grabbed onto my shoulder, starting to full out laugh now. My eyes widened, and I stared at him strangely as he closed his eyes, grinning and chuckling.

I didn't move, but I narrowed my eyes- when he opened his, however, all he did was laugh harder. "Akari! I can't believe you think I was…look, I have seen ores and wonderfuls a million times. But I've never been given one. I've never looked at them like they're special. I've never looked at someone who actually wanted to be in the mines to work and explore."

"You can't say it was exciting," I said smugly, heading over to a rock which I kicked and then hammered, a staircase appearing underneath it.

"I can, actually," he said very calmly, heading down the staircase before me.

"What happens when we get too far down and then it's night? I'll have to leave to take care of my crops! How are we going to manage this?"

He sighed. "Akari. We will be able to sleep in here if it gets too late. If we get down, I swear, it will be by tomorrow morning. If not, I will personally run up and water your crops and get down her again, or I'll scream up to Owen to do it once I get high enough. They can go without watering for a couple of hours."

"What about my friends? Won't they be a little suspicious if I say I'm going to hang out with you in the mines and then don't return the next morning?"

"You're a bit of a pessimist, aren't you?" Calvin smirked. "Akari, calm down. If they get suspicious, you'll be able to calm them tomorrow."

"I'm not pessimistic. I'm an optimist! Usually," I turned my brown eyes to him, having to laugh at myself then. He just smiled.

"Well, if you keep acting pessimistic, bad things'll happen. Don't forget that," he said it so smoothly as he grabbed my wrist, towing me after him while I told him where I was sure there was a pitfall.

I had no idea what I was supposed to do for the rest of the day- I had no idea how long it would take to even get to the bottom.

Author's Note: Not a very good ending, but it's hard to end it when you know they're still going to be hanging out in the next chapter. XD Anyways, I hope you liked it, and thanks for reading, and thanks to all of the reviewers- I really appreciate everything you guys have to say about this story!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the characters in it.

Two hours later and we were only on the eleventh level- now it was really getting difficult. We didn't want to just let the other fall down a pitfall, so we went around and took turns hammering random rocks.

"This is tiring," I muttered, swinging the hammer over my head and then down onto another rock. It blasted tiny bits around as I turned, closing my eyes, and when I turned back, there was _finally_ the staircase. Only nineteen levels left, I thought sarcastically.

"Definitely," Calvin sighed, shaking his head as he headed down the staircase after me. We had started taking turns carrying the rucksack, and he was carrying it now.

"Don't you usually carry _all _of your tools in just this thing?" he asked, and I glanced back at him in the dark, nodding before I realizing he couldn't see. "Every day," I said proudly.

"You're incredible," he chuckled, and I felt my cheeks heat up as I slammed the hammer into another rock. The deal was one of us held the rucksack while the other hammered, and every ten hits or so we'd switch. Neither of us dared to touch the pitfalls after our last accidents.

I wished there was a world where pitfalls would be truly helpful. Where it was a solution instead of a dangerous feat to just crash down in one- and I don't mean just in the literal pitfalls. I wish even in relationships a pitfall or two was healthy.

"What are you thinking about?" Calvin asked, pulling a lighter from his back pocket as he held it out so we could just barely see each other and the rock in front of us. I brought the hammer down, trying not to blush as I answered, "Just…pitfalls."

"What kinds of pitfalls?" he asked, and I wondered if he could read minds, or something, or he would know my "what do you mean?" was a load of lies. I pretended I didn't know, swearing when all I got out of the rock was another ore.

"I mean, there are two different types of pitfalls. There's the kind you fall in where the consequences are a broken bone or so, and there's the kind where you fall in where the consequences are a broken heart," the casual way he said it left me in awe. I could never just talk about broken hearts so casually.

"I've never had that kind," I said, and we both knew what kind we meant. I suppose I was lucky, in that sense.

Calvin stayed silent, stepping closer so I could see better through the lighter's light. "Can I ask you a question?" I asked curiously, wondering just _why_ he was so silent. I was grateful when he finally said "shoot," and shrugged. I wondered if he knew what I was going to ask him.

"Have you ever fallen into that kind of pitfall, then?" I was glad he didn't play stupid like I had, and said something like, "You rescued me from that, didn't you?" Instead, he just said, "Once."

"What happened?" I asked, setting the hammer down as I stared up at his face. His eyes were hardened, and he looked more serious than I had ever seen him before, standing there in the fire's light. He didn't say anything until I picked up the hammer again and brought it down on the next rock, giving a small fist pump when I found a staircase underneath. He blew out the flame, following me down.

"I fell in love with a girl when I was visiting my parents back in our home town a few years ago. It turned out badly, obviously- I wouldn't be here otherwise. She was already in love, with her ex boyfriend. I left my home town and went back a month ago, and then decided it was time to go somewhere really new. So I came here."

It was quiet except for the sound of my hammer as I slammed it into the rock, nervous without the light from his lighter. I picked up the ore I profited from and a mushroom, shoving them into my stuffed pockets, missing my rucksack. "Sorry," I told him.

"S'okay," he slurred a bit, and I felt guilty for making him talk about it. But- I couldn't help myself. I was curious.

"Trade," he said when I raised my hammer again, and I passed it to him as he slid the rucksack onto my shoulders. He passed me the lighter, and I held it away from myself, watching the light from the flames dance across the walls.

"Do you ever wish that things went better? Do you wish so right now, you know? You could've settled down if she wasn't already in love. You could have a family. But now, you're in this mine in Waffle Island." He stayed silent, and I immediately bit my lip, feeling guilty. "Wow, I'm so sorry. I just…I don't know, I just was curious," I shrugged, turning the light away.

Calvin's breathing slowed, and then he gave off a small chuckle. "I don't really wish I had settled down with her- especially not right now." I wasn't sure if he was referring to that fact that he was being able to explore, or- something that made me swallow hard and blush- because he was with me. I wished I could talk to someone now and ask what he was like around others, and make sure I wasn't getting in over my head.

"Got a staircase," he said proudly, and I laughed. It echoed throughout the mine as I followed him down it this time.

"Let's pick something else to talk about. Why'd _you_ move here, then, Akari?" What a random question. It's strange, but in my entire time here, nobody had ever asked me that before. Not once. "I lived in the city," I told him, which I'm sure he could've guessed. "I just did the same thing every day. I wanted to be here."

"Do you ever regret it?" he asked, and he sounded just as curious as I had been only moments ago. I smiled a bit, holding the light out farther for him as he glanced over at me, effortlessly slamming the hammer into another rock. He handed me the gold ore that he had found, and it sparkled slightly as I slid it into my rucksack, glad to have it back.

"Never." I told him, and he shot back "really immediately, his voice shocked.

"No. Never. I love it here. It's amazing, and I have all of these great friends, and I love having a farm. This was the smartest thing I ever did. The only thing I was ever so sure about," I picked up a mushroom on the ground, gasping when there was a pitfall under it, and slid it into my rucksack.

"Good thing you didn't step there," Calvin stared down at the spot before beating another rock. Pieces flew everywhere, sliding down the empty hole that was where my mushroom used to be. I just nodded at him, staring.

"I wish I could be so…sure of my life here. I mean, I love it here. Don't get me wrong. But the only person I really like here is…well, you, Akari," he stopped, setting the hammer down and staring at me. I blinked, holding the light away from me so he could not see me blush as much. I watched the flames dance, grinning stupidly.

"Sorry, I forgot. You want to get down there by tonight, so you can water your crops." He said suddenly, looking away as all I told him was "right."

It was quiet again as he picked up the hammer, and I knew I should have said something- but I didn't know what to say. Sometimes I wish I had a remote so I could just pause scenes and think of the perfect thing to say. To keep the conversation going, I asked "what do you think will be at the bottom?"

He found the staircase, and then the next staircase was uncovered. We grinned at each other, heading straight to it as we continued down. "I don't know. Magic," he joked, and I hit him gently in the back, mumbling, "Switch."

He sighed as he slid the rucksack on and took the lighter. "I hate carrying the rucksack. I swear, it's heavier than the hammer," he kidded, and I rolled my eyes and took the hammer, beating the first rock I saw. Another staircase. "I feel lucky," I joked.

Then I fell down a pitfall.

"Akari!" Calvin screamed as I slid down, my hammer falling to the side before I even fell. I wondered what his face looked like as I crashed down _another_ floor- my fault for thinking about it before- and than another, and another…

"Where are you, Akari?" he cried when I finally landed, sprawled out awkwardly on the floor. "Are you okay?"

I lay there, stretching all of my limbs, opening and closing my fingers, curling my toes. "Yeah. I'm fine," I called up, sounding amazed.

"Well, where are you?" he repeated.

"Er…level twenty-two? I think. I fell a lot." I had to shout to reach up to him, and I could just barely make out his face staring down at me from all the way up there. "Just go down the pitfall," I added on, and I thought I saw him laugh.

"I think I'm doing pretty good up here, actually. You just fell about five levels and you're fine, but I just fell three and couldn't even walk, remember?"

"Well, of course I remember," I mumbled, sure he couldn't hear, as I got to my feet and walked around. "Well, I'm fine. At least drop my rucksack down and then my hammer, and then stop being such a chicken and come down here. Land in the spider like position, you know?"

He was quiet, and then my hammer fell down, and then my rucksack. I picked up my bag, slinging it over my shoulders, and picked up my hammer, moving out of the way.

"Yeah, right. The spider like position." The way he said it made it sound so crazy, and I realized it sort of was. Who, besides me, would know what a 'spider position' looked like, anyways?

"Just jump!" I shouted up at him, crossing my fingers and stretching out the muscles I had hurt falling like that. I kicked the ground- soft dirt. I had been lucky for that- though at the same time, it was dangerous to land on so heavily. My eyes shot up to Calvin, about to warn him of that.

"Fine," he called, and then I heard him start to come down.

Author's Note: Sorry for the time between the last update and this one compared to the others. I have almost the rest of the story written out, but I've been writing so many fan fictions- I keep getting these random ideas!- I just keep forgetting to post them up haha. Now, to Blue Topaz lover: I sort of do know a lot about the game, since I've been playing so long, so just ask away, and I'll give it a shot haha. :) Thanks for reviewing! And poesumo, you're my only other reviewer for the last chapter haha, so thanks to you too, and my other reviewer who reviewed the first two chapters! Huh, I'm really on a name basis today. :D Thanks to all the readers, too! I hope you liked this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the characters in it.

He landed with a heavy thud, and I felt terrified that he would break through the dirt, but he landed perfectly in the position I had commanded him too, though his eyes were pretty wide. It was a good thing he was an adventurer, or he might never have gotten down here.

"Man, you almost gave me a heart attack, Akari! I thought you were a goner, for sure."

"Well, obviously you don't know me too well. I've fallen all the way to floor nine before," I stuck my tongue out at him, but I was at his side so fast it was amazing, heaving him up quickly, my breathing stuttering pathetically to showcase my fear.

"You definitely helped us get closer to the finish- but could you imagine if you had landed on a steam geyser?"

"How annoying!" I held onto his shoulders still, as if he would fall. "I hate steam geysers. They blast you up so hard it gives you a head ache, and it soaks your clothes-"

"And the puddles break through the pitfalls!"

"Exactly! And I thought I was the only idiot who could get into a steam geyser," I joked, lifting one hand to push that shoulder, though I held on so tight with the other he didn't even move an inch.

"Akari," Calvin whispered suddenly, and my eyes flashed open wider. He would have been hard to see in this dark, only he was so close to me I could see his sparkling eyes as he smiled.

I blinked as if to prove that he had my attention, and he grinned wider. "Akari, is there anyone else you'd want to be right now? Getting animals? Watering crops? At the Carpenter's with Luke? At the blacksmith's with Owen? At On the Hook with Toby?"

"Nowhere," I whispered back, blinking again.

Calvin breathed deeply, and then he turned away. "Did you get hurt at all when you fell?" he asked, and I moved my hands. For being an adventurer, I thought to myself, he wasn't the bravest person I knew when it came to certain aspects of life.

"No. Did you? We all know you're not good with falls," I teased, and he laughed at me, rolling his eyes.

"I can walk this time. Well, let's get started again- I can't wait to reach the underground lake, and at this time we might be able to make it before night falls, even."

"Owen does it all the time, you know," I teased, holding back laughter.

"Owen's some sort of mine genius," he laughed. "I may be an archaeologist, but I don't know everything about mines, you know." That statement seemed a bit pointed, and I blushed as I lifted my hammer and brought it down on another rock.

"I can carry the rucksack," Calvin volunteered after a moment of silence- just me pounding over and over again on random rocks and occasionally sliding ores, wonderfuls or mushrooms into my rucksack.

I shook my head. "No offense or anything, but it feels bizarre doing anything without my rucksack on. I'm used to the weight, and it sort of helps me when I'm lifting. Keeps me balanced, I guess," I just shoveled out reasons to keep it. Really, it felt crazy having my back all exposed without it.

Calvin just shrugged and lit up his lighter again, illuminating the surprisingly cramped room. I hated that- when you were going through such large levels and then you randomly found a tiny one. "Suit yourself," I could hear his smile, almost, and I felt my cheeks heat up for the umpteenth time as I brought my hammer down on- finally!- the staircase. I wasn't sure what it was about Calvin, but I found myself blushing more than ever with him.

I wasn't sure what he was playing at, but when we got to the next floor he would randomly point out rocks. "Hit this one, right here! It's the staircase!" I would give him a strange look, and then bring my hammer onto the rock. It wasn't a staircase the first five times, but I got silver and gold ores each time.

"Look, it's going to be this one!" he said, and finally, it was. "We're only seven floors away," he pointed out.

I didn't say anything, so he continued. "I had a good feeling about this rock, you know." I liked Calvin- a lot, obviously- but he was starting to get on my nerves. "I just looked at it and thought, _that's it!_ That's the staircase! You know?"

"Did you think that about the other five?" I muttered sarcastically.

I was tired, and I was hungry. I guess Calvin got that, because he pulled me down to sit on the ground he had checked for pitfalls, and then sat next to me himself, opening my rucksack and pulling out two of the meals we had provided.

"I think I have good feelings about everything, actually. Gut feelings, you could say," he kept on chattering in his annoying-when-I'm-not-cheerful cheerful way as I greedily started to devour the good herb fish I had made. He chewed my rice omelet slowly, as if he was thinking something over.

"That's nice," I said when I realized he was searching for an answer. He grinned over me, laughing quietly at my reluctant responses.

"Do you think that's weird, Akari? To have gut feelings." He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them he was looking in the other direction.

"I had a gut feeling about coming here and it turned out good," I shrugged, shoveling in more food. I pulled some tomato juice out of my rucksack to wash it down, not feeling a bit embarrassed. Calvin just watched me, smiling.

Finally, he said something else. "Do you mean a gut feeling about coming here to the mines or here to Waffle Island?"

Spending time with Calvin felt a bit like playing 20 Questions- or no, Truth or Dare, but always picking truth. "Both, I guess. I mean, there's nothing else that really told me to go here or here, so," I just stopped then, shrugging as I finished off both the drink and the meal, feeling my energy returning.

Calvin finished his omelet shortly after, and I passed him a drink- milk, I think. He drank it slowly as well. It annoyed me when people were slow, usually, but I just smiled at him. It was hard to stay angry at Calvin for longer than a couple of seconds.

"How excited are you to get to the bottom?" he asked, and I stared at him. Hadn't Owen mentioned something to me about him being _quiet_? I wanted to laugh at that, but just grinned wider and said, "Really excited, Calvin."

"Say my name again," he said suddenly, his eyes wide. I made a weird face, laughing.

"Calvin?" I said awkwardly, laughing at him. He just stared at me for a moment, a strange smile on his face as he downed his milk and passed me the empty cup, which I promptly slid into my rucksack.

He took the hammer, and I stopped him. "Not that rock, that one," I pointed out another one, smirking. He seemed like he was about to look at me like I was crazy, like he had done when I was the one wielding the hammer, but instead he lowered it and started talking again.

"But, what if you're wrong? I had picked this rock out, and it did have the staircase under it, but you doubted me and then I went all the way around this entire cave, searching for the staircase and hitting the rocks you told me to hit, and then we finally had just this rock left, and I hit it and it _was_ the staircase, and we just wasted all that time and energy-,"

"Just hit the rock I told you to, Calvin," I rolled my eyes, but laughed. He just grinned that heart melting grin that I had gotten accustomed too, and swung his hammer down on the rock I had pointed out.

The staircase was lying right there, where I had guessed it. He turned to me with a sheepish smile. "Huh. Guess you were right," he waited for me to go down, and then followed me.

I realized right then, blushing at such a simple compliment, just how much I liked him. It rendered me speechless, really- I just stood there as he hammered through, switching with him in about a half hour, switching back another half hour later, and carrying on like that for a couple of hours.

Then…as we headed down another staircase a bright light shone through, and we looked around, surprised.

"It's the thirtieth level," I whispered quietly, and Calvin and I turned to each other slowly.

Author's Note: I threw in the whole 'say my name again,' because it always makes me squeal when the people I like say my name. :) Dunno why haha. Ha, I put off this chapter a bit because my character hadn't even gotten to the bottom yet, so I _just_ got to the bottom yesterday. :]] I was all, "look, look!" and my family was just like, "…that's nice." Haha. Okay, now to Blue Topaz Lover: I've heard that the glitch is in _all_ copies of the game from several people, so I think it is. :( Sorry, and I hope I helped (and the few people I checked with were right! xD) and thanks for reviewing! Thanks to everyone who read, I appreciate it, and I'll update with what will more than likely be the last chapter tomorrow!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of the characters in it.

I took off running straight towards the sparkle in the ground, listening to Calvin's heavy footsteps behind me. "Be careful, we just got down this level!" he warned immediately, but looking around, there wasn't much to be afraid of. Ooh, a giant lake! Lots of danger! A _power berry_ on the floor!

Calvin looked at me weirdly as I picked it up, shoved it into my rucksack, and then sunk to my knees, staring into the water. Slowly, he dropped to his knees next to me, watching as I trailed my fingers on the top of the water, splashing it onto my face.

"Careful, you don't know what's in the water," Calvin said softly, but his eyes were so focused on mine I was sure if a piranha jumped out of the water and started to attack me he might not even notice as long as it didn't get in the way of his eyesight. I smiled slightly, staring into the water.

"I'm such an idiot. I left my fishing pole at home," I sighed sadly, splashing the water with some sort of useless hope that the high selling king fish would just jump up and…uh…'dirt' itself.

Calvin laughed, staring out at the water. "You're no idiot. If I had remembered to bring a hammer, I could've helped you all day long and we would've been here at about twelve."

I made a face, sitting down so that I had to prop myself up, my hands pushed into the soft dirt. "I didn't even think about that. It doesn't matter. What time is it, anyways?" I asked, turning my head towards his in time to see his eyes finally break away and glance down at the watch fastened on his wrist.

"It's one in the morning. Tired?" he grinned at me, and I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Not at all," I lied, glancing around at the giant lake.

"We can rest here, you know," he gestured, and I shrugged again, splashing a huge gust of water towards the middle, still holding for a fish suicide as I finally shook my head.

"I've got crops to tend later," I explained when he gave me a quizzical look, and he sighed slightly, nodding.

"Guess you'll always have some ranch thing, huh?" he joked, but I could tell he was slightly…offended? I wasn't too sure what to say, so I just said, "Sometimes," and then set my hands back in their previous places, holding myself up to stair at the ceiling.

My biggest fear was that this whole thing would just cave on in right now. All thirty floors just crashing on top of me- I was terrified. I didn't like going in the mines when I first moved here because of that, but Owen reassured me that it would more than likely not happen and it had never happened before, so I stared at the crumbling dirt above me and hoped Owen was right.

But, if I died right now, wouldn't that be such a way to go? Sitting next to Calvin, staring out at the lake, feeling proud of myself- even though I also felt a bit confused at Calvin's actions- for making it all the way to the bottom? I tilted my head so I could watch Calvin himself, who was sitting Indian style staring at the ground like there was something interesting there, and not just dirt. A small smile found its way to my lips, and I stared at him, not even blushing for once.

"What are you thinking about?" Calvin asked, not looking up. I wondered if he was one of those people who could feel eyes on them- if he was, then it was sort of stupid to ask what I was thinking of.

"You," I said bluntly, and then turned my head to the other side quickly, blushing. _You should really learn to _think_ before I _speak! I shouted at myself in my mind, feeling ultimately stupid.

Next to me I heard a soft chuckle. I _was_ one of those people who can feel eyes on me, and I knew his were on the back of my head. Pathetically enough, the only thing I could think was _I really hope my cowlick doesn't look too bad_.

Then, my heart stuttered, stopped, started, beat really fast, slowed, and was normal. Or, all it did was appear to skip a beat, really, if we're not being over dramatic- because Calvin set one of his freshly blistered hands over my tiny calloused ones.

It was quiet for a moment, and then I turned back towards him. He was staring at me the way I had been staring at him, but I still was afraid. Afraid to tell him what I was thinking right at that moment, and afraid to _admit _even to myself what I was thinking right at that moment.

"What are _you_ thinking about?" I asked smugly, a smirk making its way through my body in that reassuring feeling you get when you one up somebody. _I am not afraid! _I told him- or I would have, if he could read minds. _I can still be as cool and collected as you seem_.

"Thinking about what an idiot I look like. And how calm and beautiful you look. Thinking about you, mostly," he returned the smirk, and I felt the feeling of one upping someone seep away, quickly replaced with a bizarre warmth I had never felt before.

"You don't look like an idiot," I said, sitting the same way he was, though I kept my hand down on the floor, my other hand resting on my knee.

"But I am one. I mean…I'm going to make things awfully awkward right now, Akari," he laughed a bit, and I raised a single eyebrow. My best retort was, "How?"

"I'm going to tell you something I've been thinking about, and it might make you feel uncomfortable. Hell, it probably _will_ make you feel uncomfortable. But…I just want to tell you, you know?"

I had to laugh at that. The look on his face was so…adorable. He looked uncomfortable, his face taking on a funny expression, but at the same time he looked anxious. It was hard to imagine that- someone nervous just about talking to _me_. I savored the look on his face, not taking my eyes off of him

"Well…go ahead, I suppose. If you want to, tell me." Even if he was making it sound like he was going to tell me he was an alien or a mass murderer, or something.

He grinned at me, holding out his other hand, and I hesitated before setting my hand in his, afraid to embarrass myself, but he just grinned, his other hand holding onto my palm, pulling it from the dirt I had practically buried it in. I laughed a bit at that, and he laughed too, though his seemed strained.

I hated when things had to build up like this. When someone tells you they need to tell you something, it makes you nervous too, to the point where you just want them to spit it out, but they want to put it off because they're afraid.

That's basically my explanation for impatiently going, "Well…?" after a few moments of sitting like that, my arms freezing but my hands surprisingly warm.

At least he didn't get upset- visibly. "Alright, alright," he chuckled softly, and it echoed in the cave. "Akari…did you feel anything when you met me?"

I swallowed hard. "I'm not the one making a confession here, you are," I pointed out, and he looked a little offended at that, but grinned.

"Touché. Okay- well, I did. I felt something when we met. Sparks, if you need a word for it. I spent forever thinking of a way I could get to know you, and when I came up with getting to the bottom of the mines I tried to think of a way to spring it on you- and so when I saw you, I just…sprung it. So this whole time I've been thinking, when do I tell her? When should I tell her? And obviously I kept trying to all day and night, but I kept getting distracted and-," he paused, watching me as I tried with no success to stifle my laughter. "And…and…why are you laughing at me?" He let go of my hands and they fell weirdly back into my lap with a quiet slap.

I covered my mouth quickly, shaking my head. "It's just…" I spit out, widening my fingers so just my choked voice, and not my laughter, could escape. "You're an adventurer…but you're afraid…" the laughter spilled out as Calvin stared at me, his turn to be impatient.

"You're an adventurer, but you're afraid to tell me you like me!" I finally got it out, giggling behind my hands as I got to my feet, walking past him towards where my hammer rested on the ground to stare out at the lake.

It was silent after my laughter died down, and then Calvin's voice sounded behind me- how had I not noticed him getting up or coming over here? "We're all afraid of something, aren't we?" he whispered, and I felt my cheeks burn as his breath hit my cheek. Remembering my silent thoughts on the crumbling dirt overhead, all I could do was nod.

"So, Akari, the rancher, the brave one of the pair- what do you say? To my confession, I mean," he cocked his head to the side as he stood in front of me, hands dangling at his side and his legs shoulder width apart. It was the typical male stance, and I was in the typical girl stance- ankles crossed, arms folded. I dropped my hands to my side, uncrossed my ankles, and stepped closer to him.

"I feel the same way," I murmured, blushing furiously at finally having just put it out there. Words felt so _naked_ to me. They were out in the open once you said them, exposed, no protection. You couldn't bite your tongue when you've already said something. Other people could do what they pleased with them, and you would have no say at all- that _was_ your say, getting ripped to shreds in front of you.

But I didn't have to worry about that with Calvin. He had no biting remarks to snap back at me with, just warm lips to press against mine, causing me to jolt with shock before I could even react.

For just a moment, I didn't worry about my crops, the weeds growing, what people would think about us spending all our time here and then just walking back into town going together. I didn't care about anything but that moment in that moment. I lived in the present, pretending we weren't in the bottom of the mines I was afraid of, that I hadn't foolishly forgotten my fishing rod.

When he broke away, he kept his face inches from mine, a smile playing on his lips. "What's your favorite thing about the mines?" he asked, almost teasing.

I grinned before I could say it, and we both knew what was coming.

"Pitfalls."

Author's Note: Wow, this last chapter took me forever to get out. I didn't want it to seem rushed or see too slow, so sorry if it came out either way to you. :( And I know it's not a solid ending, but I hate writing epilogues and things of the sort to stories, you know? Real stories don't usually have epilogues and such so…:) I mean if you guys really want me to get one, I'll crank one out haha. But, anyways, I hope you did enjoy it and that you liked this little bit about Calvin. :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed all the past chapters and thanks to all the readers, I really appreciate it! :]] Oh, and Blue Topaz Lover: Don't worry, you're not annoying at all. :D I like getting asked questions haha. But, the woman's name is Mira, and you have to go to the graveyard by the church to meet her and then she'll be at the blacksmith's, and you just take a wonderful to her and ask her to refine it and it'll refine it randomly for you. If you need to know anything else, you can just pm me or get a hold of me any way, really. xD Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! :)


End file.
